Spain tourism urged to move beyond visitor records

Spain’s tourism industry is calling for success to be measured by more than rising arrival numbers. In Madrid on 25 September, Hostelería de España, the hospitality employers’ association, said tourism must bring value, profitable businesses and benefits for local people. Its president, José Luis Álvarez Almeida, made the appeal for World Tourism Day.

The industry expects this summer to surpass the record figures of 2025, when Spain received more than 96.8 million international tourists. But Álvarez Almeida said the test should also be what visitors spend, how they live alongside local people and whether tourism improves citizens’ lives.

Visitor spending rose 7.8% by July, ahead of the 4.6% increase in international arrivals. The association sees that gap as backing for a model that gives greater weight to quality than headline visitor totals.

It said tourism should help fund public services, infrastructure and access. It also called on visitors to respect local culture, timetables and customs in order to protect what makes destinations distinctive.

Hostelería de España says the sector includes more than 300,000 businesses across the country, supporting jobs, social life and local products. It wants public authorities to involve the tourism supply chain and hospitality associations more closely when shaping policy.

The group also called for sustainability on economic, environmental and social grounds: viable businesses, efficient use of resources and a fairer share of tourism’s gains for residents.

Topics: Tourism · Politics · Economy

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com